Negotiations among those of different backgrounds takes time, patience

Ethnic armed organisations who have not signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) separately held talks with the Union Government and the Tatmadaw one day after the third session of the Union Peace Conference-21st Century Panglong. They attended the conference at the invitation of the Union Government.

Both sides were able to discuss issues openly and cordially, and many good possibilities of participating in the peace process were obtained.

The meetings can be seen as speeded-up steps towards peace, and it is one of the positive results of the Union Peace Conference-21st Century Panglong.

All want to see peace in our country, and are willing to walk together on the path to peace.

Another positive outcome of the Union Peace Conference is that it reached a milestone by signing part two of the Union Accord.

Meanwhile, the United Wa State Army (UWSA) said in its recent statement that it has urged the Northern Alliance to sign the NCA, and are expected to meet again days after the Union Peace Conference. Hence, the conference has brought many positive outcomes for peace in our country.

There were other positive developments during the six-day period of the conference. It was learnt, for instance, that although the Constitution contains the wishes of ethnic nationals, they want to include words that are more exact. Another issue is including matters not included in the Constitution in the Union Accord.

Fourteen points were agreed upon in the third session of the conference, and they were signed into the Union Accord. But no agreement was reached in the security sector this time.

Negotiation for the security sector should be done very cautiously. At the same time, it is very important to have good results in the security sector.

A complete Union Accord needs to have agreements in the security sector. To resolve this difficulty, the construction and design of our political discussion framework should be reviewed courageously, and we must strive toward creating a better work process.

As negotiations and discussions were held under different backgrounds and differences in envisioning the future, much time and patience is required to achieve good results.

We need much closer cooperation among our groups. To overcome the difficulties, it is important for the main forces to have a common aim for the future.

Ref; The Global New Light of Myanmar